I’ve been the sports nutritionist for three professional teams and numerous athletes in my private practice, and whether you head to a 9-5 job each day and work out when you can, or you earn a living exercising, the right nutrition plan is the real key to results. Here are five mistakes that may interfere with getting the most out of your training time:

Drinking a Protein Shake Before a Workout
Protein is digested much slower than carbs, so too much pre-workout can give you stomach cramps and prevent the carbs you need for fuel from getting absorbed and becoming available to your working muscles.

The Fix: Reach for a smaller quantity of protein, along with slow burning carbs pre-workout, and choose higher protein shakes, snacks or meals afterwards.

Exercising on an Empty Stomach
It’s physiologically impossible to burn pure body fat — during aerobic exercise you burn a combo of carbs and fat. When carbs aren’t readily available, your body is forced to break down its own muscle mass and convert it into blood sugar. That means by skipping a meal, you may end up eating away at your own muscle instead of building it!

The Fix: If you don’t like the feeling of food in your stomach when you exercise stick with a liquid, like a small smoothie made with unsweetened frozen fruit and organic skim or soy milk.

Nutrition plays a key role in athletic performance, providing the nutrients necessary for athletes to compete. Maintaining a well-balanced diet contributes to athletes’ ability to endure a strenuous workout.

“A diet can be defined as anything someone eats,” said Izzie Brown, a nutrition food science and packaging lecturer at SJSU. “The way we define a healthy diet would be one that’s balanced in terms of eating from a lot of different food groups, but also eating many foods from within the same food group.”

Brown said it’s important for athletes to pay attention to their diet and make sure they get enough of the macronutrients (carbohydrates, proteins and fats) they need to maintain their strength.

– See more at: http://spartandaily.com/110726/athletes-eat#sthash.fL2IUXl7.dpuf

An interesting dynamic is emerging around the market for sports nutrition products. Some companies see it as a stepping stone for growth while others already in the category are transitioning away from it in an effort to grow into the much larger market for products focused on health and wellness. What is forming is a blurred category featuring products geared toward performance, recovery, hydration and overall health.

The markets are merging to attract a greater number of consumers interested in health and physical activity.

The blurred focus is a product of the growing number of mainstream consumers who are trying to maintain active and healthy lifestyles, according to Fortitech, a business unit of DSM, Heerlen, The Netherlands. In its latest white paper, “Strategic nutrition for sports,” Fortitech said the greater focus on fitness and health is reflected in the number of gym memberships in the United States. There are now more than 30,000 health clubs that cater to the needs of 45 million members and create an industry with revenues approaching $19 billion.

During the last days of 2004, I had the pleasure of meeting Mr. Douglas Black & his beautiful fiancée during their visit in Egypt. Originally from Scotland, Mr. Douglas posses a great sense of humor, besides the obvious muscular physic with a heart of gold. Mr. Douglas as been in business in the supplement & garment industry in the UK for many years and is considered one of the most respected personalities in his field. Truly, I enjoyed our brief yet fruitful meetings and we all wish him & his fiancée the very best.